Smoking, Orthopedic Surgery, and Bone Healing

When assessing a smoker who is scheduled for surgery, most of us will quickly zero in on their potential for complications from anesthesia. But what if the upcoming procedure is orthopedic?

Smoking is a well-known risk factor for osteoporosis and bone fracture, so it makes sense that it can be an issue in bone surgery healing.

In “The Effects of Smoking on Bone Health and Healing” in this month’s AJN, authors Stephanie Niu and Fidelindo Lim review the effects of smoking on bone health and healing and offer suggestions on how nurses might use this information to help people facing orthopedic surgery to quit.

“In addition to posing surgical and postsurgical risks for orthopedic patients, tobacco, nicotine, and other byproducts contained in traditional and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or vaping products) adversely affect overall bone health and impede bone healing.”

Smoking associated with poor postsurgical outcomes.

Research has shown that smoking is associated with postop infection and poor bone fusion. It significantly increases time to union and risk of nonunion, and is significantly associated with poor clinical outcomes after surgery. […]

2020-07-20T09:16:45-04:00July 20th, 2020|Nursing|0 Comments
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July Issue Highlights: Magnet vs. Non-Magnet Hospitals, Rapid-Response Team Activation Barriers, More

“Health care workers need a break. . . . a respite from trudging from room to room or house to house, donning and doffing gowns and masks and gloves . . .”—editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy in her July editorial, “In the Aftermath”

The July issue of AJN is now live. Check out the highlights:

Original Research: How Magnet Hospital Status Affects Nurses, Patients, and Organizations: A Systematic Review

The authors analyze the current evidence comparing Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals to determine whether different outcomes exist between them—and provide new information regarding the economic impact of Magnet recognition.

The Effects of Smoking on Bone Health and Healing

A review of the effects of smoking on bone health, the importance of smoking cessation among patients scheduled for or recovering from orthopedic surgery, and the vital role nurses play in supporting patient efforts to quit.

Special Feature: Perceived Barriers to Rapid Response Team Activation Among Nurses

This literature review explores the major barriers many nurses face in calling the rapid response team—and how those barriers might be overcome.

[…]

2020-06-29T10:05:38-04:00June 29th, 2020|Nursing|0 Comments
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August Issue: Obesity-Related Cancer, Simulation-Based Education, Secondhand Smoke Screening, More

“A respite for nurses may be more needed than ever. Workplaces are more complex than they used to be and . . . changing faster. . . . And there never seem to be enough people to do what needs to be done.” —editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy, in her editorial, “A Day By the Sea”

The August issue of AJN is now live. Here’s what’s new:

CE: Original Research: The Clinical Research Nurse: Exploring Self-Perceptions About the Value of the Role

This study analyzes how clinical research nurses perceive the value of their practice, specifically as it relates to the care of clinical research subjects and the implementation of clinical research protocols.

CE: Obesity-Related Cancer in Women: A Clinical Review

The author discusses the role of obesity in the development and recurrence of breast, gynecologic, and colorectal cancers in women; describes weight loss interventions that may help overweight or obese patients reduce their cancer risk; and explains interviewing techniques nurses can use with such patients.

Special Feature: The Changing Landscape of Simulation-Based Education

This article details three foundational concepts of simulation-based education: prebriefing, debriefing, and safety in simulation. It also provides examples of academic, hospital- and health care center–based, and in situ simulation programs.

Cultivating Quality: Improving Screening and Education for Secondhand Smoke […]

2019-07-29T13:28:02-04:00July 29th, 2019|Nursing|0 Comments
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Smoking Still Kills…in So Many Ways

Seven million tobacco deaths per year.

Today, May 31, is World No Tobacco Day, declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) to bring attention to the health problems caused by smoking. According to the WHO fact sheet on tobacco,

“Tobacco kills more than 7 million people each year. More than 6 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 890,000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.”

When nurses smoked at the nurses’ station.

It’s amazing to me how far we’ve come in a relatively short time in curbing smoking. When I first started working in hospitals, nurses would be smoking at the nurses’ station; shift report was often in a smoke-filled room; patients and visitors were allowed to smoke as long as there was no oxygen tank in the room. And I always hated sitting in the airline seat that was the dividing row from the smoking section—as if a small sign on the seat made a difference in keeping the smoke at bay!

Some resources.

This year, the focus is on smoking as a leading cause of cardiovascular disease—second only to hypertension. Here are some articles from AJN, plus resources that provide information about the mulitple negative health effects of […]

2018-05-31T12:27:31-04:00May 31st, 2018|personal health practices, Public health|1 Comment
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June Issue Highlights: Understanding Antipsychotics, Talking to Pregnant Smokers, IBS Basics

The June issue of AJN is now live. Here are some articles we’d like to bring to your attention.

CE Feature: Mental Health Matters: Antipsychotic Medications

In recent years, more adults—and teenagers—are taking at least one type of psychotropic medication, the majority of which are prescribed by primary care and family physicians. This first article in a series on commonly used psychotropic medications for the treatment of mental illness reviews the mechanisms of action, adverse effects, and contraindications of first-generation typical and second-generation atypical antipsychotics.

CE Feature: Original Research: The Experiences of Pregnant Smokers and Their Providers

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10.7% of women nationwide reported smoking during their last trimester. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ initiative Healthy People 2020 targets tobacco use, including smoking during pregnancy, as a continuing major health concern in this country. Yet bringing the U.S. Public Health Service’s 2008 clinical practice guideline, Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence, into routine prenatal care remains challenging.  The authors of this study conducted focus groups of pregnant smokers and their providers, most of whom were RNs, to better understand their experiences and to gain insights to help providers best deliver the stop-smoking message.

Clinical Feature: 

2017-05-30T11:44:24-04:00May 30th, 2017|Nursing|0 Comments
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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